What is a "Dirty Axe"

We spend our weekends and evenings keeping an eye out for good / cheap guitars and spare parts. Our pro Tech Tom checks out each "dirty axe" before we commit to etching them to make sure they are all playable and have the potential to be great guitars. These guitars are a great way for us to continue developing laser etching possibilities, improve our process and technique.

Every Dirty Axe has been professionally cleaned, serviced, upgraded and set up, ready for action.

Our Burntaxe No.2

It's got a maple neck with rosewood fretboard and a solid alder hardwood body, these two key ingredients to create a quality tone guitar.

We've featured a single Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge position which is controlled by one volume pot, so you can see the full effect of the Mandala design.

Tom has gigged No.2, he says "The hench SD-JB on a Strat style guitar creates a huge thick tone with that classic strat twang. This axe through a 5150 amp will shred through any mix, simple, easy, awesome".

As a final addition to the simple wiring, this axe also features complete internal shielding, giving perfect grounding to remove excess hum from any high gain amp.

Jaguar with EMG pickups

Say hi to Dazz, one of Tom's old guitars. This old dame had seen better days, she needed a refurb and while we tidied her up we gave her boring scratchplate a bit of Burntaxe glamour. We put our Burntaxe Farewella design on a mirrored scratchplate, we mirrored it so she can see how beautiful she is. The EMG pickups, contrast with the sparkles and mirror.

We etched a small black mandala on the headstock to match the scratchplate.

As we were giving her a face lift we thought we'd upgrade her hardware too. Dazz has active EMG solderless pickups in a jazz bass setup with dual volume controls. Big ups for the pickups, am'aright?

Jimi Hendrix Tribute

The most adventurous guitar we have done to date. This stunner was an experiment with colour, and what a result. The 2 way colours sprayed over this design were intended to be bright, psychedelic and in-your-face.

When you think of guitarists Jimi instantly springs to mind. It seemed obvious we needed to make a tribute guitar, so we did. They say you should have no regrets. We don't see how you could ever regret making or buying this guitar. It's all of the splendids. To make the colour 'pop' and to ensure the insane swirling graphic stands out even more, we kitted it out with all black hardware.

Hendrix played many Stratocasters which is why the Strat was perfect for this project. The front is reflective of a 60's hippy vibe with Jimi's head spiralling into a vortex - trippy or what? We also integrated the design from one of his own guitars on the front for an extra special touch.

The back has a full blown image of Hendrix shredding his guitar on stage which comes from our favourite album cover of his "Gunmachine", the splattered paint effect gives it a worn feel. It doesn't stop there. We've sprayed the headstock in green and pink and etched his signature into the topside. Although we've tried to do it justice by describing it to you, it's probably better to have a flick through the pictures - they're pretty rad man!

Maria - Gothic Mandala Stratocaster

Our new mandala design, Maria, has been revealed. Maria is incredibly intricate, she's full of insane patterns and far out imagery. She's a real beauty, every time you look, you see something new.

But the hype doesn’t stop there. You could see her with your own eyes at The Hare and Hounds in Brighton. Heck you could even buy her. And there’s more! This guitar is a test model so it we've reduced her price. We tested the limits of how fine the etch detail can be, she's passed with flying colours, the detail is unbelievable.

This is a rare opportunity to buy an early serial numbered Burntaxe at a ridiculously cheap price, head on over to The Hare and Hounds, grab one of their excellent beers (we do all - the time) and take a look at her hanging on their wall. Or if you want us to etch Maria design on your guitar, contact us.